A couple of weeks ago, I opened my email to find out that our friends at Luminox had just released three new watches as part of their collaboration with Volition America. On the off chance you’ve never heard of Volition America, they sell a variety of patriotic-themed gear (apparel, sunglasses, watches, golf clubs, and more) from well-known companies and donate a portion of every sale to the Folds of Honor Scholarship Foundation.

When I saw that the sales benefitted Folds of Honor, I had to check them out. My son has had the good fortune of being one of their scholarship recipients all four years he’s been in college. Their generosity has made it possible for him to attend an excellent private school that otherwise would have been out of reach. Their programs change lives.

So, I figured I’d get my hands on one of these unique, brand-new timepieces and review it for all of you.

The face is a deep blue that looks almost black in low-light conditions. The Luminox and Volition emblems are raised, as are the arabics around the dial.

At first glance, you can tell it’s an iconic Navy SEAL Dive Watch. This particular model is the Luminox X Volition Navy SEAL Set. More on what constitutes the rest of the set shortly. The midnight black case and 120-click unidirectional rotating bezel are made from CARBONOX, ensuring the piece weighs in at a quite sturdy and manageable 71 grams. What is CARBONOX? Glad you asked. It’s Luminox’s trademarked carbon compound material which, according to the company, “consists of carbon long bars or carbon powder in varying percentages, depending on the model.” The result is a highly durable, lightweight case that absolutely will not reflect light.

The Volition logo is etched into the stainless steel screw-down case back. The “24” indicates the 24mm lug width. Photo by the author.

I’ve given the watch a whole week and a half of wrist time, day and night. After the first hour, I almost forgot I was wearing it; that’s how comfortable the strap is. It’s thick and made of genuine rubber, allowing it to conform perfectly to the wearer’s wrist. The top surface is textured, providing it with a visually interesting element. At first, I thought it might be a lint magnet, but it is not, as you can see from these close-up photos I took immediately after taking it off my wrist. A second US flag-inspired NATO strap is included with the set. The NATO strap has branded hardware, as does the rubber one.

 

The money shot, tritium tubes hard at work. Red, white and blue, how cool is that? Image courtesy of Luminox.com

Admittedly, it was impossible to do the lume on this watch justice by taking a pic of it in my bedroom closet using an iPhone. It just didn’t provide the quality image I wanted, and the photo from the manufacturer more closely reflects what it looks like in real life. Blue tubes are found at all of the numeral markers (except the 12 o’clock position, which is white) and on the hour and second hands. White tubes are placed on the minute hand and at twelve. If you look closely, you’ll notice the smaller tritium-filled tube on the rotating bezel at the 12 o’clock position. It is covered by a piece of protective sapphire. The lume setup on this watch allows you to do precision timing in total darkness.

The entire set, well, most of it. The watch comes with both the genuine rubber strap and the colorful NATO strap, as well as a well-done, hefty Luminox/Volition challenge coin. That was a nice bonus. The metal spring bar tool they throw in to help you switch straps is not shown. The set comes in a heavy branded plastic case with lots of padding inside and a snap-down lid. Photo by the author.

By now, you are probably wondering about some of the stats for the piece: allow me to oblige.

  • Origin: Swiss Made (as noted on either side of the six o’clock hour marker)
  • Case Diameter: 45mm
  • Case Material: CARBONOX
  • Case Height: 14mm
  • Crown: Made from CARBONOX, screw-down with a double security gasket. Branded with the Luminox logo
  • Bezel: CARBONOX 120-click unidirectional dive bezel with no back play. A Luminox Light Technology (LLT) tube is embedded at 12 o’clock, and a sapphire crystal covers it.
  • Crystal: Sapphire
  • Movement: Swiss Quartz
  • Battery Life: 50 months
  • Water Resistance: 20 atmospheres (which equals 200 meters or 660 feet). Each timepiece is individually tested for the advertised water resistance
  • Illumination: 16 strategically positioned tritium-filled gas-filled LLT tubes that will provide a constant glow for up to 25 years.
Yours truly rocking the watch on the provided red, white, and blue NATO strap. This shot gives an excellent example of the actual color of the face and the slight texturing of the CARBONOX case and bezel. I’ll definitely be breaking out the NATO strap for Fourth of July festivities. Photo by the author.

If you’re a watch lover like me, adding one of these to your collection is a no-brainer. You might even want to gift one of these to a patriotic friend or family member. If you do, let me thank you in advance for helping disabled vets like myself and our families by contributing to the Folds of Honor Foundation. It’s a rare win-win situation.

To order the Luminox X Volition Navy SEAL Set, click here.